


Champagne Flavoured Love

by ofgodsandstars



Series: The Soulmate Series [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Affection, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bang Chan & Seo Changbin are Best Friends, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Cute Ending, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, Drunkenness, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluffy Ending, Gen, Happy Ending, Hugs, Humor, Hwang Hyunjin & Lee Felix are Best Friends, Hwang Hyunjin is Whipped, LGBTQ Themes, Literal Sleeping Together, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Sexual Content, Other, Public Display of Affection, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Gestures, Self-Indulgent, Seo Changbin is Whipped, Sexual Tension, Sharing a Bed, Short & Sweet, Soft Seo Changbin, Strangers to Lovers, Sweet Hwang Hyunjin, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, True Love, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Rings, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29912196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofgodsandstars/pseuds/ofgodsandstars
Summary: Changbin is a whirlwind of chaos, getting over an hour late to the wedding he's supposed to be the best man at. When he finally gets there, he's met with a glass of champagne, a handsome stranger and a night of drunken bickering that turns into something more.Or: Changbin and Hyunjin get on each other's nerves, and decide to settle it over champagne and one too many kisses.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin
Series: The Soulmate Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2198091
Comments: 12
Kudos: 50





	1. Candy Floss Lips

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO! I am back with the promised, and hashtag awaited spinoff of Milk and Cookies, a cute, warm little Chanlix fic. If you haven't read Milk and Cookies, you can still read this as the main story isnt too heavily referenced here, but if you wanna feel extra soft, read M&C too!
> 
> So this one right here is a Changjin fic, still soft, still cute, but with just a tad more spiciness than its predecessor. Hope you guys like this one too! Xoxo

Changbin was late.

He was really, fucking late. 

For context, the poor man had come home after working for almost 24 hours. He'd had some crucial deals to close at the publishing firm he worked at and the previous day had been a flurry of taking clients out to fancy lunches and dinners with expensive coffees and bottomless cocktails in between. 

He'd closed all seven of his deals.

But the man was dead tired.

He'd come home at...honestly, he didn't even know, and had made a beeline for his bedroom, barely undressing, just throwing himself in bed whilst still in his fancy suit that his friend Felix had designed for him. The weight of countless pitches, a few too many cocktails and having to charm 7 different authors for hours had caught up to him.

Binnie boy needed a good rest.

And that's where we catch up to him now, waking up at 4.30 in the evening (ok so he probably made it in some time in the morning, he figured as he frantically threw himself into the shower), rushing to get ready for an event he was supposed to be at half an hour ago.

The event? His best friend's wedding, and here's the clincher, Changbin was his best man. 

"I'm so fucking late I'm so fucking late," he cursed as he rushed out of the bathroom with his wet bangs pasted to his forehead while he hurriedly dried his hands on his towel to check his phone.

Yup, 12 missed calls, sounds about right. 

He hurried to dry himself off while he called back, putting the phone on speaker while he waited for Chan to pick up. 

"Changbin are you okay?" Was what he was greeted with.

Bless Chan, honestly. Here was Changbin, tripping over his own feet as he accidentally put his cream pants on the wrong way around, whilst dealing with a mild headache from exhaustion, dehydration and too many drinks the night before, 45 minutes late to his best friend's wedding, and the first thing that best friend said when Changbin returned one of his 12 missed calls was: "are you okay?".

This was so in character for Chan. It was literally the biggest day of his life and here he was, concerned for his tired, mildly hungover friend's wellbeing.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, just had a shitload to do yesterday and I got home only this morning. I'm so sorry man, I'm getting ready now I'll be there as soon as-"

"Woah, woah, slow down," came Chan's soothing voice from the other end of the phone. "I'm just glad you're ok, Felix and I were worried. You didn't answer any of our calls and you'd been quiet since yesterday. Besides, you know Felix, he panics over the slightest thing."

"Really? On our wedding day?" Changbin could hear Felix's voice in the background and chuckled before he responded, "Fuck dude, I didn't mean to worry you guys, I was just really fucking tired and I woke up so late. I'll be there soon, promise."

Chan assured him the ceremony hadn't even started yet and that it was fine, but Changbin knew he was holding it off just for him. 

One, because Chan wanted his best man there for the most special moment of his life.

Two, because Changbin had the rings. 

He'd finished getting ready just as his phone dinged with the message that his Uber had arrived. He quickly shrugged on his cream blazer, pocketed his phone, and rushed out of his apartment. 

It was only 15 minutes later, when he was in the Uber and on the way to the wedding, that he slapped his knee, hissed "shit!" under his breath and remembered:

He'd forgotten the rings. 

He frantically told the driver they needed to turn back around, and was met with complaints on how this was going to charge him extra and how, since the location had been pre-set, he wasn't going to get paid for the extra effort, to which Changbin angrily stuffed his hand in his pocket to pull out his wallet and shove some cash at him when he realised, he'd forgotten his wallet too.

"For the love of God, just turn back, I'll pay you extra," Changbin pleaded with a hand over his face as he rested his head back against the seat. Today was not going well for him.

Once the driver finally conceded, Changbin pulled out his phone to text Chan that he'd gotten stuck in traffic, or some stupid excuse to make up for the fact that he was getting EVEN later, but he whimpered when he pressed the power button on his phone.

Great. Just fucking great. Now his phone was dead.

Figures, it was already low when he'd gotten home in the morning and he'd completely forgotten to charge it.

When he finally got back home, it was past 5pm. Chan and Felix had this whole thing planned to get married at sunset, and Changbin was fucking /praying/ that the sun would help a man out and not set anytime soon. 

He grabbed his charger, grabbed the rings, grabbed his wallet and dashed out of his apartment, spending the whole ride to the hotel counting the minutes and watching the sun as if he had any control over when it decided to melt into its pretty, dusky colours over the evening sky. 

He got to the hotel at 5.20pm, and luckily for him, the sun was only just starting to set. He ran, hell for leather, probably even putting Usain Bolt to shame, towards the garden that the wedding had been set up in. 

He burst through the doors the same way Chicken Little did in that kids' book, but instead of screaming "THE SKY IS FALLING DOWN!" (which it sort of was in a way, with the sunset and all), he yelled: "WE CAN START THE WEDDING!"

Stunned eyes turned to look at the panting man, leaning against the doors for dear life. Someone came up to him, thrusting a glass of champagne into his hand. "God, drink something, dude. You look like you're going to pass out any second." 

Changbin barely glanced at him, all he really registered was his long black hair framing his face. Had Changbin had the time, he would've noticed it was a very attractive face, and had Changbin had the time, he wouldve smiled, thanked the man, maybe even flirted a little. 

But in the absolute daze that he was in, he simply downed the entire drink and thrust the glass into the man's chest without another word as he rushed over to Chan and Felix, who were watching him as if he was a rabid dog that had snapped its leash.

"Woah, buddy, you ok?" Chan steadied him, peering at him with concerned eyes while Felix tried to stifle a laugh from beside him.

"Sunset!" Was all Changbin was able to say. "YOU NEED TO GET MARRIED BEFORE SUNSET!"

"Jesus, Changbin, I'm not Cinderella, calm down," Felix clapped him on the shoulder, and then turned to Chan to direct heart eyes at him. "My prince was still be here whether the sun sets or the clock strikes midnight."

Chan returned Felix's wide smile, taking his hands in his softly. "Baby," he giggled, "did you include that in your vows?"

"Oh for the love of God," came another voice, the same black haired man from before. "We've already waited an hour," he directed his glare at Changbin as he pushed, or manhandled rather, the giggly couple towards the altar, "can you two lovebirds just get married already and put us sad, single people out of our misery?"

Felix turned around to stick his tongue out mockingly at the black haired man, and Changbin almost couldnt believe this was the same person who had his face plastered all over the latest fashion magazines as the 'One to Watch'. Lee Felix may have been a big deal in the fashion world, but with his friends, he was a sweet, lovable goof. 

The guests hurried into their seats and the best men took their places by the sides of their friends at the altar. Changbin noticed that the black haired man was Felix's best man, standing behind Felix now with a smile on his face as he watched his best friend get married. 

With the chaos now significantly calmed, the ceremony started, and what a beautiful ceremony it was. As if on cue, the sun had started setting on the horizon, painting the sky streaks of passionate colour, hues so bright that it looked like someone had spilled their bottles of acrylic over the otherwise pale canvas of the sky. 

Chan and Felix stood under a little white arch, decorated with white roses and lilies and orchids that fluttered in the breeze that was perfumed with the scent of the ocean. The hotel itself was quite close to the sea, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore blended like a symphony with the soft piano music that was being played at the wedding as the pair exchanged vows. 

Changbin smiled for the first time that day. He remembered Chan telling him that they'd chosen this spot at this time because it kind of resembled their first date: they'd driven around at sunset and ended the day at the beach. It was so cute the way Chan had described it, all blushes and fists curled up into his sweater paws near his face. 

Now he was watching his best friend marry the love of his life, pouring beauty into his vows as if he was reciting poetry to Felix. Felix, in return, gazed back at Chan with a smile stretched across his face and so much love in his eyes that, for a moment, Changbin allowed himself to believe in the little concept of soulmates. 

"You've been my streetlight in every shadow, an anchor of strength in my heart, and my own piece of heaven to cling to when the skies get too rough and the world outside loses its lustre," Chan wound up his vows with tears in his eyes and emotion choking up his voice, as if the sunset behind him had wrapped itself around Chan's throat.

The officiator behind them looked to Changbin for the rings, which he produced from his coat pocket, handing them over to Chan, who gently slipped the ring on to Felix's ring finger, the gold wedding band resting on top of the pretty diamond engagement ring that Chan had proposed with. 

It was then Felix's turn, and while Chan's sentimentality showed in the tears that poured down his face, Felix was quite the opposite. He bore a smile so wide it resembled a bulb overcharged with electricity, on the verge of bursting. He was so full of love, so full of joy as he spoke, gently rubbing his thumbs over Chan's knuckles to soothe him.

"I never believed in soulmates," he began, his eyes mapping out all the memories they'd shared on Chan's face, as if they were painted there like Polaroids. "I never believed in the kind of love that transcended time and experience, while still staying as sweet as it was at the beginning. I never thought that every night, as I fall asleep, that even after 2 whole years together, that the comfort of your arms would still be akin to a cloud of love, that your smile would still be brighter than the night-light on our bedside table, that my love for you would still feel like the sweetest haven to lay in."

As Felix continued, Chan sobbed, the guests who had already been teary after Chan's vows were now dabbing tissues at the corners of their eyes, and Changbin felt like he was having a strange, out of body experience. 

For him, he clung on to Felix's words for a reason probably entirely different to why everyone else was emotional. He clung on to the words because, like humble seeds, they planted hope in his heart. Hope that someday, Changbin would find his Chan, or his Felix. Someone who'd make him happy from the day they met to the day they departed from the earthly plane. 

For him, it was bittersweet, a fond smile on his face and a waterfall of emotion in his heart, gushing through his veins for some sort of exit but finding none. Changbin didn't cry much, he simply immersed himself in an emotion and patiently let it wash over him, which was what he was doing now. The wedding was beautiful, Chan and Felix had now exchanged rings and were legally pronounced husbands, the crowd roared and cheered, the couple kissed each other with as much love as their hearts could hold, and Changbin simply stood there, breathing it all in, being happy for them, capturing the essence of this moment as if he was capturing a scent in a bottle. 

But the moment passed, music began playing, alcohol was being poured freely and the earth had poured darkness on to the horizon, lulling the sun to sleep as the little twinkling angels up high stepped out from behind the velvety violet curtain of the darkening sky. 

And that's.....when the chaos started.

Now, Changbin had always liked to drink. Not in an unhealthy way; the man simply enjoyed a good party. After the debacle of the morning, he was more than happy to throw back a couple of shots at the open bar. As the liquor started filtering through his system and leaving him a little tipsy, he noticed the black haired man next to him - Felix's best man. 

"So," Changbin began confidently to the man who delicately balanced a shot glass of either tequila or vodka between his fingers. "What was with that sarcasm from earlier?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "What sarcasm?"

"That they'd already been waiting an hour for the wedding to start, you glared at me. Bro I dont even know you, why the beef?"

"The ceremony," he corrected, "was yet to start. The wedding was in full swing, thank God we didnt have to wait for you for that," he tipped his head back threw back the shot, barely wincing as it swam down his gullet - he must've been used to it. 

"And there it is again!" Changbin threw his arms out a little too wildly, the drink in his glass swishing over the edge and on to the bartender's shirt. "You with that sarcasm again!"

"You delayed my best friend's ceremony!" Black-Long-Hair slammed his glass on the table.

"Yo, his husband is my best friend too ok, back off."

A scoff. "Best friend, I'm sure."

"Do we have a problem?"

"I don't know, do we?"

"I don't know, DO WE?"

"Um, hi, can I just, squeeze past and get a drink?" A random voice interrupted them as a guest attempted to lean between them and get her drink. "So sorry," she said after getting her glass, "you two go back to whatever yall were doing." 

Which was just what they did, right after she left. Although they really had done nothing to each other to warrant such ardent dislike, the alcohol that they kept pumping into themselves only fuelled on their bickering.

"You're insufferable!" Changbin slurred.

"You're despicable!" 

"You're unbearable!" Changbin groaned. 

"You're incorrigible!"

"What are you, a thesaurus?"

"No I'm Hyunjin."

"Oh, I'm Changbin by the way."

"Yeah, I know, I had to listen to Felix and Chan go on and on about how worried they were about you. GOD why don't they have a single angry bone in their body?"

"Probably coz you have enough to compensate for the both of them."

Hyunjin sneered, Changbin sneered, and then with a huff, Hyunjin walked off. 

Good, Changbin thought, finishing off his (?th) drink. The music had wound down now enough for the couple to have their first dance, and after a few minutes, other couples were also joining them giddily on the large wooden platform that served as a dancefloor propped on the grass.

It was dark now and there was alot of alcohol buzzing through Changbin's body, so everything in front of him was kind of blurred, like he was moving about 3 seconds slower than life was actually happening, if that made sense. His head and the lids of his eyes felt heavy as he crashed down on one of the seats, watching the rest of the crowd dancing because well, he had no one to dance with. 

He hadn't noticed the other man at the table looking at him distastefully.

He hadn't noticed Felix mumbling something excitedly to Chan and then both of them running up to the table.

"You two should dance too!" Felix had exclaimed, dragging Changbin up by his hands. 

Huh? Two? Changbin was confused. 

"Oh Haha, no, no. I'm fine Felix, really," came the familiar voice at the other side of the table. It was Hyunjin.

Changbin's face crawled into a scowl. "Oh fuck no I'm not dancing with him!"

Hyunjin sneered, "What makes you think I want to dance with you!?"

"Perfect!" Felix said brightly, pulling Changbin to the dancefloor while Chan brought Hyunjin over, and the two newlyweds basically shoved their best men at each other and stood over them, expecting them to dance. 

Changbin noticed that Hyunjin was significantly taller than him as he reluctantly placed a hand on his shoulder, doing so just for Chan and Felix's benefit as the two were watching them like hawks. 

Hyunjin smirked, for some reason, curling an arm around Changbin's waist and pulling him closer. It was only when they actually began to sway that the newlyweds turned away to dance with each other. 

"I didn't realise how short you were," Hyunjin snickered. "You're like a gremlin."

"You're like a fucking giraffe," Changbin responded, but his words had no bite, Hyunjin simply laughed. 

"It's always the short ones who are overly aggressive," he cocked his head to the side, "overcompensating, are we?"

Changbin rolled his eyes. "Fuck you," he mumbled, as Hyunjin pulled him just a tad closer. He ignored how good looking Hyunjin actually was. He ignored what a pretty voice he had. He ignored that his cologne smelled expensive and was currently clouding his senses. 

Most of all, he ignored how plump and pink his lips were (he also VEHEMENTLY ignored his own wondering thoughts of whether they tasted like candy floss). 

Hyunjin only chuckled at his statement. "I'd like to see you try."

He'd like to what now?

"What?" Changbin looked at him with wide eyes like a deer in the headlights. 

Hyunjin's hands dropped a little lower to Changbin's hips and honest to God, Changbin felt his heart flip over. 

Wait no, he was supposed to HATE this man (he didn't know why), not be ATTRACTED to him!

Changbin unconsciously tightened his arms around Hyunjin's neck as the other man smirked. "I knew it," he chuckled lowly, "you don't have alot of fight in you now, do you?"

"Fight? You want me to show you fight? Don't tempt me, bitchboy!"

"The only thing you're fighting is sexual tension."

He wasn't wrong, but Changbin wasn't going to let him win. 

"No I'm fighting about the fact that you've been giving me attitude since I got here!"

"To be fair, I tried to be nice and offered you champagne, you just shoved the glass right back at me without a word after you gulped the whole damn thing down."

"Is THAT what this is all about??"

"No, no, Changbin, you're irrevocably attracted to me, that's what this is about." 

"Well if it's about the champagne," Changbin tripped out of Hyunjin's arms, walking in a complete zig-zag because he was the last thing from sober, and then flopping the top half of his body over the makeshift bar counter. 

"Two glasses of champagne please."

Hyunjin was zig-zagging his own way over to Changbin, eyes squinting at him, after all, he'd downed quite a few shots too. 

Changbin drunkenly held out a glass to Hyunjin as he held the other one. "This is," he slurred, "a thank you, for the champagne you gave me earlier today." He clinked his own glass against it as he continued. "Happy now?"

Hyunjin smiled, it was an absolutely dazed smile as he lifted the glass to his lips and took a swig. "I'll be happy when you admit you're attracted to me."

"I'll fucking kiss you if you don't shut up about that," Changbin threatened, not realising that his words weren't really a threat at all.

"Oh yeah?" Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, downing his champagne and curling an arm around Changbin's waist. Changbin's body was anyway warm and buzzing from the multiple drinks he had baptised his bloodstream with, but with Hyunjin being so close, he felt almost feverish, like his cheeks were boiling. 

"Don't fucking tempt me, giraffe."

"And if I do?"

Changbin decided he DID in fact want to know if Hyunjin's lips tasted like candy floss, so he grabbed the man's face and pulled him in, his lips crashing messily against his. If in any distant part of his mind Changbin thought threatening Hyunjin with a kiss was an actual threat, he was totally mistaken.

Hyunjin's tall frame slumped comfortably against his own, his slender hands taking Changbin's face between them, and although the kiss was incredibly sloppy and incredibly messy and incredibly drunk, both of them kind of enjoyed it. 

Changbin barely realised falling back on to one of the empty chairs with Hyunjin on his lap, barely registered the long strands of hair tickling his face and the fingers travelling up and down his biceps. 

He did hear the tiny little moans escaping the other man's mouth as they kissed, and he was able to pull the man's long legs around his waist. 

From a distance, Felix and Chan had been laughing about the bickering between their two best men, but had then noticed that the couple wasn't on the dance floor anymore. Curious, and intrigued, they'd looked over the garden, only to gasp when they spotted....quite a sight in the distance at one of the empty tables.

"Are they..." Felix began.

"They're certainly enjoying themselves," Chan observed. 

"Didn't Hyunjin call Changbin a gremlin just 10 minutes ago?"

"Could've sworn he called Hyunjin a giraffe right after."

Clearly the bickering pair had decided to go about their frustrations a different way, and neither party minded at all. Hyunjin would have been lying if he said he hadn't looked Changbin up and down the moment he arrived, Changbin would've been lying if he said that Hyunjin wasnt the most gorgeous man he'd ever laid eyes on. 

After a few more minutes, they parted, Changbin's hands on Hyunjin's waist as the other man nuzzled his neck, his lips tracing the veins along the side and leaving their imprint on Changbin's sensitive skin. 

"You wanna get some water?" Hyunjin croaked, clearly needing some as he pulled away to face him.

Changbin nodded, lightly tapping his thigh for him to get off. Hyunjin sat down and lay his head on the table as Changbin got a couple bottles of water for them, opening one and handing it over to Hyunjin, who looked about ready to drop. 

"How are you getting home?" He asked, suddenly concerned, despite being barely able to stand himself. 

Hyunjin took a swig, keeping his eyes closed and his head in his hands. "M'not sure," he slurred. 

"Did you drive here?"

Hyunjin seemed to think about it, then he nodded. 

"Well there's no way in hell you're driving home." Sure, as if Changbin's drunk ass was in any position to take care of another drunk ass.

Hyunjin cracked his eyes open and smiled at him drunkenly. "Take me home then?" He opened his arms for Changbin to climb into, and Changbin couldnt resist leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Hyunjin's mouth once more. 

"Mine or yours?" He slurred.

Hyunjin nuzzled against his chest, and in some distant corner of Changbin's brain, maybe the tiny part of his consciousness that wasnt totally intoxicated, Changbin felt warm, but not in a drunk, turned on way, he felt a rush of warmth through his chest seeing this beautiful man smiling with his eyes closed, all cuddled up close to him.

A strange feeling of yearning.

"Wherever you wanna take me baby," Hyunjin slurred back, wrapping his arms around Changbin's waist now. 

Changbin found himself kissing the top of Hyunjin's head, fingers threading through his long hair. This was a drastic shift from how they were behaving towards each other about half an hour ago, and Changbin....really liked it. 

"I need to go to the bathroom," Hyunjin tapped Changbin's thigh, and he hopped off, helping Hyunjin to his feet. Clearly he couldnt make it to the bathroom alone, so Changbin slung an arm around his waist and both of them swayed into the hotel. 

As they walked over, Changbin heard Hyunjin groan uncomfortably and frowned. 

"Are you ok?"

Hyunjin's eyes were sort of closed, eyebrows furrowed, and his hand came to lay on top of his stomach.

Uh oh, Changbin knew what that meant.

He picked up the pace to the bathroom, pushing the doors open and directing Hyunjin over to the nearest stall, and Hyunjin promptly fell to his knees near the toilet and began retching profusely. 

"Shit," Changbin swore under his breath, immediately beginning to sober up. He crouched behind Hyunjin, rubbing his back and quickly pulling his long hair away from his face.

Hyunjin kept cursing as he threw up, and Changbin knew just how awful he mustve been feeling.

"It's ok, it's ok," he comforted, rubbing his back to soothe him. "Get it all out, Hyun. You've had way too much." 

When he was done, he sat outside the stall while Changbin washed up whatever mess there was (thankfully not alot) and flushed the toilet. He came out and got some paper towels, then dropped down to the ground to clean the tears around Hyunjin's eyes, dabbing tissue around his mouth as well.

"Let's get you washed up," he said gently, pulling Hyunjin up to his feet and directing him towards the sink for him to wash his mouth out. 

"I'm sorry," Hyunjin muttered as he leaned over the sink, water dripping down his face. 

"There's nothing to be sorry for, if anything, I'm sorry for giving you more champagne." 

Hyunjin smiled slightly and shook his head. "Nah, that was fun, gremlin. A lot of fun."

Changbin huffed a soft laugh, then took hold of Hyunjin's arm and led him back to the party, carefully settling him down in a seat as he went to get him more water. He himself had sobered up a fair bit after taking care of Hyunjin, and now busied himself with heaping up plates of food from the buffet. 

For himself, he piled up whatever looked good, but for Hyunjin, he filled a plate up with a few bread rolls, some pineapple and watermelon slices, and some oily, fried chicken and sausages. He knew that grease always helped to settle a stomach after too much drinking, there was some scientific explanation behind it, but he'd forgotten now.

When he made it back to their table, he took only nibbles of his own food as he paid more attention to feeding Hyunjin, starting him off with the watermelon slices and pineapple to rehydrate him and rebalance his pH levels, then as he felt a bit better, he slowly fed him the chicken and sausage, giving him bites of bread to soak up whatever alcohol he may have remaining in his system.

That strange feeling of yearning, like before when Hyunjin had nuzzled into his chest, returned. He felt it come on stronger than before, especially now that he wasn't as drunk.

The feeling barrelled itself through his chest, almost pounding at his heart and crawling up his throat as if looking for a way out. 

It came out as a fond smile and a little "You feeling better?" As Changbin fed him a forkful of chicken with his palm hovering beneath his chin to catch whatever food fell from his mouth. 

Hyunjin smiled, a little brighter and a little more conscious this time. "Much better." He looked at Changbin's fairly full plate of food, and seemed to register that Changbin wasn't eating because he was more focused on getting him to eat. 

"Why haven't you eaten?" He lowered Changbin's arm as he outstretched it to feed him more. 

"Coz you need to eat, love." Changbin immediately bit his tongue. Love? Did he just call him love? That was a term Changbin only used on people he was dating, why the everloving fuck did he just call Hyunjin 'love'?

Hyunjin didn't seem to pick up on this, instead, he picked up a fork, pulled Changbin's plate closer to him, stabbed at some food and then pointed the fork at Changbin. 

"Open up, time for you to eat too."

If Changbin's heart could physically burst, he thought it did in that moment. Something about the gesture was just so....tender.

Gingerly, he lowered the fork he was about to feed Hyunjin with and opened his mouth as Hyunjin fed him. They kept the little cycle up, of feeding each other, slowly starting to giggle and make conversation. Now somewhat sober, they reverted to referring to each other as 'gremlin' and 'giraffe'.

From a few tables away, Chan and Felix were watching with smiles on their faces. "I knew Changbin and Hyunjin would eventually get along," Felix said, raising a glass of champagne to his lips. "He's what Changbin needs, honestly."

Chan nodded, watching his best friend say something funny to Hyunjin which made the other man slap his knee and honk with laughter. He knew what Changbin had been through in previous relationships, he knew how much he'd suffered and cried and hurt over men who'd taken advantage of his kindness.

"Binnie is always the kind of person to be there for everyone else," he said to Felix, "he's had us to lean on, but he's never had a partner who'd loved him as much as he loved them."

"Not to jump the gun here," Felix responded, "but maybe our wedding might've sparked a new love story?" He turned to Chan with a twinkle in his eye.

Chan glanced over at the pair feeding each other a few tables down, feeling nothing but empathy for Changbin. "I sure hope so."


	2. Stay, Please.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin's eyes skimmed over Changbin's face, committing every feature to memory, admiring how stunning he looked in the faint amber glow of the overhanging fairy lights. If Hyunjin was being totally truthful, he didn't want this night to end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back with chapter two! This was a pleasure to write, and you'll see a little bit of backstory for each character too!

The night had crawled on, and without even realising it, Hyunjin and Changbin had spent the hours in each other's company, laughing, making conversation and bickering playfully just like they had before. 

They had emptied their plates, having fed each other little forkfuls of food as they talked. Changbin learnt that Hyunjin was an interior designer, and he and Felix had met at the same design school, although they were following two different majors. 

Changbin had told Hyunjin the whole story of why he'd gotten late to the wedding in the first place, leaving the other man in fits of laughter when he heard how everything that could've possibly gone wrong, did go wrong.

" 'We can start the wedding now!' " Hyunjin teased, reminding Changbin of the way he burst through the doors looking like a madman with the most frantic, crazy eyes he'd ever seen on another person.

"Hey, hey," Changbin chided, lightly slapping Hyunjin's knee, which was draped over his own. He noticed that when Hyunjin laughed, his eyes kind of disappeared into little curves, and he looked almost exactly like the laughing emoji. "I was disoriented and mildly hungover and in an absolute panic, cut me some slack!"

"Of course," Hyunjin giggled, "real smart of you to drink like a damn tick while you're still hungover."

"There was a certain annoying fucking coconut tree who may have been the cause of that," Changbin smirked, his palm absently kneading at Hyunjin's knee.

"Just because you're short as shit," Hyunjin teased, his face now much closer, voice barely above a whisper as he leaned in to kiss Changbin's neck. "I still stand with what I said before, by the way."

"And what was that?" Changbin's brain was too foggy to form coherent thoughts with Hyunjin's lips and teeth nipping lightly at his skin.

"When I asked you to take me home."

Changbin lightly lay his hands on Hyunjin's shoulders to push him back enough so that he could look him in the eyes. "Are you sober, Hyunjin?"

"Yeah, pretty sure I am. I mean I can see you clearly now but I'm still kissing you," he quipped, but almost instantly, he smacked Changbin's chest lightly and laughed, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "I'm only joking, you're gorgeous." 

_Says the one who looks like he belongs amongst heaven's choirs,_ Changbin thought to himself, but didn't say anything.

"What about you?" Hyunjin asked. "Are you sober?"

"Soberer than I was before, anyway."

" 'Soberer' huh?" Hyunjin raised his eyebrow and smirked. 

Changbin pulled Hyunjin fully into his lap. "Fair to say we're on the same page here then?"

"Yeah," Hyunjin whispered again, his eyes skimming over Changbin's face, committing every feature to memory, admiring how stunning he looked in the faint amber glow of the overhanging fairy lights. If Hyunjin was being totally truthful, he didn't want this night to end. 

They ended up saying goodbye to Chan and Felix, calling an Uber and hopping into the backseat as midnight drew closer. Changbin found himself leaning against the taller man, who had his arm around him as he kissed his head and traced little patterns into his arm. Their lips found each other, once, twice, countless times over the course of the car ride back to Changbin's apartment. With every kiss, Changbin felt that same, strange yearning in his chest again. As attracted as he was to Hyunjin, he couldn't deny that maybe he wanted more than just to have him in his bed for one night. 

Maybe....maybe he wanted Hyunjin for more than just a night. Maybe he wanted him for breakfast the next day, for dinner on Wednesday, for a movie on Friday. 

_You're probably still a little tipsy, Changbin_ , he chided himself while his lips were being caressed by Hyunjin's. _This isn't that deep, this isnt that deep._

When they got to his apartment, they barely made it to the bedroom. They fell on to the couch in the living room, Hyunjin beneath Changbin, wrapping his legs around the other man as Changbin's hands untucked his red silk shirt from his pants, moving his warm fingers up his body. 

"You're beautiful," Changbin couldn't stop himself from saying, as he peppered kisses along Hyunjin's jawline, the sight of Hyunjin's closed eyes and slightly parted candy floss lips sending shocks of passion through his body. He returned to Hyunjin's lips as the other man grabbed the back of his head, pushing Changbin's head down fervently as his own hips pushed upwards. 

But after a few moments, the kiss lost its fervour, as Hyunjin began to falter just a bit. Changbin immediately knew something was wrong and pulled off in an instant. 

"Hyunjin?" He asked, only to see a look of discomfort on Hyunjin's face as he held his stomach again.

He groaned. "Yeah, I dont think all the alcohol is out of my system yet."

"Fuck, baby, get up," Changbin pulled Hyunjin to his feet, gently guiding him to the bathroom, where Hyunjin threw himself at the toilet again.

Changbin repeated the same process as before, crouching behind Hyunjin, holding back his hair and rubbing his back. "I'm starting to take this as an insult now," Changbin joked, "is kissing me really that bad?"

Hyunjin laughed amidst sniffles and groans and wiping at his eyes. "I'm so sorry," he told him. "Fuck, twice in one night, and at your house too. I'm so fucking sorry Changbin."

"No, no," Changbin's heart welled with empathy for the boy, "it's alright love, it's not your fault, you probably just mixed too many different drinks together. And this time wasn't as bad as before too, you didn't throw up that much." 

"Yeah," Hyunjin said, getting up to wash out his mouth and wash his face. His demeanour had changed a bit, and Changbin didn't know quite how to read him. He looked contemplative, like he was trying to say something, but didnt really want to at the same time. 

"Um," he started, turning around to face Changbin as he leaned against the sink. "I know I came over to hook up and..." he gestured vaguely at the toilet, "clearly that's not going to happen tonight so..." he fidgeted with the rings on his fingers nervously. "I guess....you want me to get a ride home yeah?"

Changbin stared at him incredulously. There was no way in hell he was letting this man go home in the state he was in. "Hyunjin, sweetheart, as beautiful as you are, you're an utter fucking mess right now. You need a shower and some rest; I'm not letting you catch a ride home alone." He gnawed at his lip. "You can stay here," he added softly, "no strings attached. I just want you to be safe."

Hyunjin regarded him warily, as if he and Changbin were on two different pages. "You do realise sex is off the table right?"

"Uh, yeah? So?"

"So why are you letting me stay over?"

Changbin frowned. "Do people only let you stay over if you have sex with them?" 

"Well....normally if um...if I'm not up for it I'm kinda just...told to leave so....I just assumed you'd ask me to leave too." 

Changbin's eyes widened and softened as Hyunjin chewed on his lip and stared at the ground in embarrassment. Who in their right fucking mind would kick this man out? 

In Changbin's case, he'd always invited even his one night stands to stay the night, it was just common decency to not have someone go all the way back home in the middle of the night.

He always woke up to an empty bed though. 

So to him, someone actively turning someone away was just a thought he couldn't comprehend.

Without another word, he left the bathroom to go and find Hyunjin a fresh towel, then came back to find him nervously peering from the corner of the bathroom doorway, almost bumping straight into him. 

"I'll lay some clothes out for you in my room," he said softly, handing over the towel to Hyunjin. "You can keep your stuff in here, I'll pop it in the washing machine for you. There's mouthwash near the sink and a spare toothbrush, still packaged, in that little wooden cabinet over there. Come find me when you're done."

Hyunjin didn't really know what to say, he just stood there with the baby blue towel Changbin had given him, still barely able to process his kindness. 

Once Changbin left, he stripped out of his clothes, leaving them in a hamper in the bathroom, and stepped under the warm shower. As the water soaked his head, he began to feel a little better, the queasiness in his stomach receding. He still couldn't get over how sweet Changbin was being to him, and it was such a difference from the kind of men he'd been with before. 

Hyunjin was always just a pretty face to them. Just a gorgeous body they'd like to see in their bed, just a notch on their bedpost and a 'good score'. Changbin was the first man in about a year that he'd wanted to sleep with, and that was because Changbin seemed so different. He bickered with him, he had a whack personality, he was passionate in all the right ways but at the same time, he was unbelievably caring. There was no reason for him to have helped Hyunjin when he was throwing up at the hotel, no reason for him to have helped him sober up and fed him dinner, no reason for him to have him stay over for nothing more than for him to just get a good night's rest. 

Changbin was just so different. 

He wasn't even like his exes. Sure, at the beginning of the night, he and Changbin had argued like little kids on a playground, but that was nothing compared to the emotionally manipulative arguments and fights that he'd had in previous relationships. He'd left every single one of them as a slightly broken man, someone who loved a little too openly and with a little too much vulnerability, only for it to be thrown in his face. 

He stepped out of the shower and dried his hair, padding into Changbin's room to find a t shirt and a pair of cotton shorts laid out on the bed for him. After he dressed, (the shorts were WAY too short considering that Changbin was at least 5 inches shorter than him), he went in search of Changbin, who was in the kitchen, stirring a cup of something that smelled minty. 

He looked up at Hyunjin, smiling as he passed the cup over to him, over the counter. "Mint tea," he told him. "Works like a charm for bad stomachs and hangovers. You'll feel great tomorrow morning." Changbin then stepped out from behind the counter to (presumably) go to his room, but Hyunjin pulled him by the arm, trapping him between his long legs. 

"Thank you," he told him, sincerely. "For all this, you really didnt have to, Changbin."

"But I wanted to. I cant imagine...." he trailed off, half in wonder of whether he should let the next few words trip out of his mouth, and half because he couldnt help but admire how lovely Hyunjin looked even with wet hair and no makeup or jewelry, just his natural self in Changbin's clothes. 

In Changbin's clothes. Damn, how he'd love that visual a lot more often.

"You were saying?" Hyunjin prompted, pulling him back to the moment. 

"Oh, yeah. I was saying...I cant imagine how you've been treated like that before I mean...its criminal that you've been treated so harshly."

Hyunjin kissed the top of his head. "You didn't though."

"Yeah, and you can bet your ass that shit isn't gonna happen while you're in my house. Imma treat you like a fucking prince."

Hyunjin chuckled. "Sounds like you have a bit of a crush on me, gremlin."

"Yeah?" Changbin playfully argued back. "And what if I do?"

He recieved a kiss on the top of his head as Hyunjin mumbled into his hair: "Well then you better get used to seeing me a hell of a lot more often."

When Hyunjin had finished his tea, Changbin guided him back to his bedroom and got him into bed, throwing the blankets over him. "I'll be right outside if you need me yeah? Just holler." 

"Wait," Hyunjin raised his head from the pillow, confused. He grabbed Changbin's wrist. "You're not sleeping with me?" 

"Is that okay with you?"

"Changbin I literally came over to your house to have sex with you, I really don't think laying together in bed is going to be an issue," Hyunjin laughed. 

Changbin snorted, the man did have a point after all. He climbed into bed next to him, and Hyunjin immediately cuddled up into his side, head on his chest and arm wrapped around his torso, legs entangled with his.

There it was again, that yearning feeling in his chest. At this point, with Hyunjin wrapped around him like a koala, Changbin was sure that his heart was going to burst and butterflies and confetti were going to fly around the room and colour the walls with the feeling trapped in his heart. 

A mere second later, Hyunjin lightly detangled himself. "Is this okay? This is okay right?" He sounded worried, like he was afraid he'd crossed a boundary with the cuddling. He began to pull his arm away when Changbin lightly pulled it back, lacing his fingers through Hyunjin's while his other hand played with his hair and massaged softly at his scalp. 

"It's more than okay," Changbin said, and he meant it. God, did he mean it. This was all he wanted really, to just hold someone, to have someone in his arms. 

He could almost feel Hyunjin's lips curve into a smile against his chest. He felt him snuggle a little closer, letting out an adorable, little satisfied noise. 

A few more beats of silence passed between them, until Changbin was sure that Hyunjin must've been asleep. He stared up at the ceiling as his head lay on the pillow, his fingers tracing little circles in Hyunjin's back now. He was really hoping Hyunjin would stay.

Because Changbin had grown so tired of waking up in the darkness, hands feeling across the fabric of the bed sheets for a person who had left so long ago that there was no trace of warmth left behind. He was tired of waking up with nothing but silence to greet him and the memory of a wasted night that led to nothing but a few moments of pleasure and an empty bedroom. 

He was tired of it. It hurt. 

So he asked, whatever divine entity there was up there or whatever red thread of fate it was that tied him and Hyunjin together:

"Will you be here when I wake up?" 

It was a rhetorical question really, he wasn't expecting an answer. 

But he got one. 

"Do you want me to be?" Changbin was almost scared shitless by Hyunjin's unexpected answer, and thought for a moment that he might be talking in his sleep, but one look over at the vulnerability in his sweet brown eyes told him all he needed to know. 

"Please." Was all that Changbin said, before he wrapped his other arm around Hyunjin as well, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So bit of angst in this chapter, tiny bit tho. Hyun and Changbin have been hurt before, but in many ways, they kinda fit each other like puzzle pieces because of it :3


	3. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night that was intimate in a way that was more connected to his heart than to his body, he couldn't bear the thought of Hyunjin rushing off in the middle of the night, leaving him alone with memories, what ifs and a sense of heart-twisting yearning that hadn't left since the night before. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO chapter 3 is out! 
> 
> I really wanted to highlight the feeling of utter vulnerability in this chapter, the fear of falling for someone, the fear of getting hurt all over again.
> 
> It's still very fluffy, but at the same time, there's nuances of very real kinds of pain that affects people and the way they view relationships.

To be very honest, Changbin was terrified of waking up the next morning to find the sun peeping in through the curtains and gracing a bed that was empty apart from his own body. 

After a night that was intimate in a way that was more connected to his heart than to his body, he couldn't bear the thought of Hyunjin rushing off in the middle of the night, leaving him alone with memories, what ifs and a sense of heart-twisting yearning that hadn't left since the night before. 

He would've kept his eyes closed as he awoke, he would've tried to feel the weight of the other person in his bed before he opened his eyes to see if he would be met with disappointment or relief. 

But he didn't have to. 

Because he woke up with a pair of arms loosely embracing him, legs tangled up with his own and the beautiful boy from last night fast asleep on his chest; those pretty, candy floss lips slightly parted and eyes shut tight in peaceful slumber. 

He was here, Changbin almost couldn't believe it. He was still here. 

Only just lucid, Changbin smiled sleepily, his hand combing through Hyunjin's glossy black hair as if he was more than a (barely-there) one night stand. This felt so natural, so comfortable, so domestic, and in Changbin's post-sleep haze, he couldn't help but think to himself - _almost like a boyfriend._

Hyunjin stirred only about a half hour later, knees knocking gently against Changbin's legs as he changed position and seemed to snuggle closer for warmth, before cracking his eyes open and looking up at Changbin with a dazed, sleepy smile. 

And by the heavens, did he look angelic. 

The pastel light of the morning sun fluttered softly against his hair like a halo, a sliver of it passing over his face, lighting up that innocent, content little smile. "Morning," he mumbled, as he stuffed his face back into Changbin's chest.

"Hey," Changbin greeted, his own voice heavier and deeper with sleep, a little chuckle slipping out when Hyunjin groaned and wrapped himself around Changbin tighter, seemingly not wanting to get out of bed. "Did you sleep well?" He almost called him baby again, but stopped himself for some reason. 

Maybe it was because they were seeing each other in the light of day and not under the mischief of the night. After all, everyone looks different in the sun, but Changbin wasn't quite expecting 'different' to be quite so breathtaking. 

"Mhm," Hyunjin mumbled, mouth still muffled against Changbin's shirt. 

"Hungover?"

Hyunjin shook his head, then looked up. "I think you were right, the mint tea did help."

"Told you," Changbin smiled, and Hyunjin returned it, looking at him with a dreamy, faraway look in his eyes as he slowly lifted himself off of him.

"You hungry?" He finally asked, after they'd just lay there smiling at each other for a couple of seconds. 

"Uh," Changbin sat up, trying to remember what was in his fridge to get this man some breakfast. "What do you want to eat?"

To his surprise, Hyunjin just laughed and leaned forward, kissing him on his forehead. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. As a little thank you for everything you did last night."

He didn't let Changbin argue back much, simply hopping over to the kitchen after freshening up a bit. Changbin lay in bed for a bit, a little stunned, not quite knowing what to make of this. 

After having brushed his teeth and washed his face, he walked into the kitchen to join Hyunjin, greeted with the smell of sausages and egg and toast, blending into something divine to the senses.

On his dining table were two plates nicely filled up with food, and two cups of tea, both from Changbin's extensive collection of flavoured black tea. 

"The peach tea is for you," Hyunjin popped his head out of the kitchen adjoining the dining room with a spatula in hand. "By the way, I never pinned you for the kind of guy to have an entire fucking cabinet dedicated to tea, of all things."

But Changbin barely had the wit to respond. Hyunjin had fried them sausages and eggs and made grilled cheese sandwiches and steaming mugs of tea. He'd even placed a little bowl of granola, cornflakes and the blueberries at Changbin's side of the table, mixed together with yogurt. 

It was just so sweet.

It was bare minimum by anybody else's standards, but with the kind of exploitative men that Changbin had dated, this was a King's treatment. Forget the hookups who deserted him in the middle of the night, none of Changbin's exes had even bothered to cook him something in the morning. 

They'd barely even poured some cereal into a bowl for him. 

So Changbin just stood there, staring and gaping at the little breakfast spread that Hyunjin had managed to whip up in about 15 minutes. 

Worried by his silence, Hyunjin stuck his head out again, then on seeing Changbin's expression, his eyebrows knotted together and he stepped into the dining room.

"Oh no Changbin, did I overstep? Is it too much? I just wanted to do something nice for you; I'm so sor-"

"Can I kiss you?" Changbin cut him off, turning around to face him while emotions bubbled in his chest and stars fizzled in his eyes.

Hyunjin stopped short, the words leaving Changbin's mouth being the last thing he expected to hear. "Y-yeah," he stammered, more confused that anything else as he placed the spatula on the table and opened his arms for Changbin, "of course." 

The kiss that Changbin pressed to Hyunjin's lips felt very different to any of the other kisses they'd shared the day before. This kiss was tender, and somehow warmer. Hyunjin felt Changbin's lips linger on his for longer, moving slowly, as if his lips were an island and Changbin wanted to map out and memorize every inch of it. 

It was as if there were paragraphs, essays of words that Changbin was tattooing on to Hyunjin's lips with his own; as if there was a language he was desperately trying to teach, slowly, carefully, and with an intense kind of vulnerability that lay in how gently Changbin's hand caressed his cheek, and how gently he allowed his lips to dance on his - as if he was made of porcelain.

When Changbin finally drew back, he tried to avoid eye contact, looking down into Hyunjin's chest instead as the other man's slender fingers encircled his wrist, his arm finding purchase around Changbin's waist. 

Hyunjin found himself kissing the top of his head. "What's wrong?" He asked, careful and full of empathy. 

"Nothing," Changbin sighed, and it was the truth. _Nothing_ was wrong, it was all so beautifully right that Changbin wanted to frame this moment and hang it over his heart, and never leave. 

"No baby," Hyunjin whispered comfortingly, hand stroking the back of Changbin's neck as he slowly pulled back and settled down in his seat at the dining table, pulling Changbin into his lap. "You seem kinda emotional for some reason."

 _Maybe because I'm falling for a man I met only yesterday?_ Changbin wanted to say as he perched on Hyunjin's lap, unable to quite believe the way that Hyunjin wore his heart on his sleeve. 

The way Hyunjin did things, the way he spoke - it was as if he knew that he could possibly get hurt by the wrong person, but it was as if he didnt mind. His eyes were like open gates, no padlocks, no bars, no chains strung across his heart to keep people out. It was open and free, for anyone to walk right in and play with his heart as they please. 

With all these thoughts swimming around Changbin's head, he placed a hand on Hyunjin's cheek again. "Aren't you afraid of being hurt?" He asked. 

"Where's this coming from?" The counter-question wasn't to deflect, Hyunjin genuinely wanted to know.

Changbin took in a shaky breath, eyes glancing over at the breakfast laid out in front of him. "Something like this," he said, voice quiet and tiny, as if ashamed, wholly terrified and vulnerable as he gestured at the table, "nobody's ever done for me, not even a partner, let alone someone I spent just one night with. It's....just so sweet?"

"Nobody's ever done this for you? Changbin, it's just breakfast."

"Yeah well," he huffed a wry laugh under his breath, "you thought I was going to kick you out of my house while you were sick as shit. Someone letting you stay over when you're in that state is bare minimum, in my opinion anyway." 

"Someone making you breakfast is bare minimum."

"Clearly both of us have set the bar pretty low, huh?"

Hyunjin laughed softly. "When did basic kindness turn into a luxury for us?"

Changbin shrugged. "Somewhere along the line of us settling for far less than we deserve, anyway." 

There was a beat of silence, Hyunjin's thumb gently travelling back and forth between the mountain range of Changbin's knuckles. 

Then, Hyunjin broke the silence: "Are you happy that I stayed the night?"

Gosh, the pure vulnerability in that question. The way Hyunjin threw his heart out in front of a firing squad with no security except the blind faith that maybe, just maybe, they won't shoot. 

And there was that yearning feeling again in Changbin's chest. 

He lay his head in the crook of Hyunjin's neck, breathing in the faint smell of smoke from the morning's frying sessions, mixed in with his own shower gel. "Waking up, with you still there, was the happiest, and most relieved I've felt in a while. I'd...." Changbin didn't know if he could be as vulnerable as Hyunjin was being, but he felt he deserved it. "I'd have been heartbroken if I'd woken up to an empty bed, not just because it would mean someone had left me again, but because.....well because it's you."

Hyunjin's arms had wrapped around Changbin now, lips kissing his hair, which had become a habit in just the space of a few hours. The way Changbin was being held, spoken to, caressed, was something so foreign to him, yet something he longed for. 

He'd grown so used to taking care of everyone, his colleagues, friends, partners, that he'd never realised how much he craved the feeling of someone else taking care of him. Someone being gentle and careful with his emotions the same way he handled everyone else's - like glass. 

He could feel Hyunjin smile into his hair. "Is this that crush you were telling me about last night, gremlin?" He teased.

In response, Changbin nipped playfully at his collarbone. "Yeah," he laughed. "I guess it is."

Hyunjin's arms tightened around him, hugging him close before briefly pulling away to lean across the table and pick up Changbin's mug of tea. 

"You know," he said, handing it over before continuing, "I'm kinda glad we didn't have sex last night. Not that I didn't want to, but because.....well because everything else that happened just seemed a whole lot nicer, warmed, more comfortable."

"More wholesome?" Changbin asked, taking a sip of his tea. 

"Exactly. Falling asleep with you was more intimate than anything else could ever be." 

"Keep talking like this and I'll fall in love with you, right here, right now."

At that, Hyunjin gingerly plucked the mug out of Changbin's hands, replacing the taste of peach tea on Changbin's tongue with the taste of his lips. 

"Let me just speed up the process then," he smiled slyly into the kiss. 

Over kisses, touches, and playful teasing that held no bite, the two of them finished up their breakfast, washing the dishes together afterwards like any typical, domestic couple would. 

They lay together in bed after, a tangle of limbs as Hyunjin seemed personally offended by Changbin's taste in movies, ("You've seen the entire Fast and Furious franchise over and over again but you've /never/ watched The Breakfast Club?!"), and Changbin seemed aghast at how Hyunjin didn't believe in horoscopes. ("No you don't understand, your moon sign _has_ to be Cancer!")

Changbin ended up caving and watching The Breakfast Club with Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin let Changbin explain the entire concept of the zodiac calendar to him. 

Clearly, they were very different. As they talked, they found out more about each other - Changbin liked to work out at the gym whilst Hyunjin preferred yoga and Tai Chi, Changbin listened to the Doobie Brothers whilst Hyunjin preferred the Jonas Brothers, Changbin could write a thesis about his love for sushi and katsu don whilst Hyunjin had a burning passion for fettuccine and gnocchi. 

But Changbin found Tai Chi graceful and beautiful, Hyunjin loved Long Train Runnin' and they both agreed that fusion cuisine was the best. 

They were different, but they respected each other, and with respecting each other, comes respecting each other's little quirks and interests and likes and hobbies that sometimes may not be your cup of tea. 

It wasn't this huge gesture or this massive thing that had to be earned later on in a relationship, no, respect was barely even bare minimum, it was the fundamental to any functioning relationship, romantic or otherwise. Respecting each other was second nature to them. They may have called each other "fucking skyscraper" and "baby garden gnome" a dozen times before pillows were flung into the other's face, but in tandem with their playfulness came the respect for each other's differences. 

Before they'd even realised it, it was close to evening, and Changbin couldn't help but chuckle to himself as to how he and Hyunjin had been at each other's throats a mere 24 hours ago. 

Hyunjin eventually did have to return to his own home, finding themselves in the doorway to Changbin's apartment, gazing at each other with growing infatuation in their eyes. 

"So," Hyunjin began, a little shy suddenly, despite everything that had happened. "I'm seeing you again, right?"

"You big oaf," Changbin teased, pulling him in by his waist and kissing him, "of fucking course."

"Dinner on Tuesday?" Hyunjin asked between kisses. "And please note, _I'm_ taking _you_ on a date."

"Only if you let me treat you next time."

"Already planning our dates, huh?"

"We almost skipped all the dates and jumped straight into bed, moving too fast might just be our thing."

"That was before I knew I really liked you."

"Oh please, you had stars in your eyes from the moment you saw me."

"Changbin, you looked like an ostrich on crack when you showed up."

"If we keep bickering like this I might just ask you to move in with me."

Hyunjin laughed and leaned down to peck Changbin's lips once more before he left. "Maybe you'll get your chance someday, gremlin."

Changbin leaned on his tippy toes to meet his lips (he was not proud of this), smiling dreamily as he pulled away and finally let Hyunjin go back home. 

Maybe, he thought to himself, maybe someday he actually will get that chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh this was a pleasure to write - bits of domestic fluff.  
> As with the previous issue in this series, I wanted to talk about how it IS possible for that gentle, pure kind of love to exist. Alot of us have been exposed to bad relationships and people who have been all wrong for us, so this is kind of there not just to give you guys hope, but also to make yall see that sometimes, the person who is going to be perfect for you may not be identical to you.
> 
> Interests and passions may be different, careers may be different, but it's about acceptance and understanding and compromise and investing enough love into what makes your partner happy.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the first of a few chapters 😌 we'll be diving a little deeper into Changbin's backstory, which might get just a tad angsty but dont worry, imma make it real cutesy and loving.
> 
> See you guys soon! I always love reading your comments so please do drop them in below!


End file.
